Hail is the number-one reason a roof dies before its time — not age, not wind, hail. A few minutes of 1"+ stones can knock a decade off a shingle's life, and most homeowners have no clue until it starts leaking two winters later. So far in 2026, 7,683 verified hail reports have come in across 34 states. Here's who's getting hammered.
Kansas is running away with it — 779 hail reports and a top stone of 4" so far this year. Right behind: Texas (756) and Missouri (637).
Quick rule of thumb: under an inch mostly just makes noise, 1" starts bruising shingles, and 1.5"+ is where claims get real. Hail and tornadoes ride the same storms, so if you want the twister side of the ledger, here's the Top States for Tornadoes ranking. And for the blow-by-blow, the daily storm reports break down every outbreak as it lands.
The full 2026 ranking is below — click any state to open its interactive map with exact report locations, dates, and hail sizes.